Bookish Remedies
by StoryWebber
Summary: It's Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts, when the new Ministry of Magic decides to introduce the wizarding world to the mythological world. They were thriving secretly for centuries, together, but separate. What will happen when these secrets are released. Will something explode?
1. Chapter 1 - Hogwarts

Snowflakes danced to the ground gracefully. Harry was standing by the lake at Hogwarts, watching the snowflakes fall on the frozen sheet of ice. The first few days of winter at Hogwarts were always the most beautiful. Every snowflake, every drop of mist in the air and every icicle on the ground made you feel content and relaxed. It was Christmas, and Harry could not help but think back to the last year, when he had been forced to flee out of sight from the wizarding world and chase horcruxes down relentlessly.

But now, all that was over. Peace and freedom and bliss, at last. It was a good thing Hermione had convinced him and Ron to come back to Hogwarts for their seventh year, Harry thought. He needed to say his goodbye properly, and break all the ropes that tied him down to his school, his first heaven. He needed to leave his memories behind and be ready to fly out into the world. And for that, he needed to return to Hogwarts, and appreciate it in all its beauty and comfort.

Okay, now he was overdoing the philosophical thoughts. Hermione's influence rubbing off on him, he supposed. Maybe he should head back to the common room now and wake Ron up in time for breakfast.

With this thought and a grin on his face, Harry headed back to the warmth of the castle and the warmth of his friends' smiles.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE : Really short chapter, I know, but please do comment. Should I continue with Hogwarts, or switch to Camp Halfblood now? Also, is the second giant war over, or should I take up their story immediately after Kronos' death? Do review nad give me your opinion...**


	2. Chapter 2 - Goofball

The Gryffindor common room was buzzing with excitement. There was to be a Goofball match the next day, the first organised one at Hogwarts.

"Man, I love Fred and George! They're the cleverest brothers in the world!", screamed Ginny. At once, nods of approval met her statement. Ron frowned for a moment, and then burst into am maniacal grin again. It was impossible to be sulky on such a day.

The Weasley twins, Fred and George, had opened up a new aspect of business. With Weasley's Wizard Wheezes being established at Hogsmeade, and a comfortable business running, they had decided to give vent to some of their creativity and create a new game. It was based on Quidditch, but the rules were crazy... like the twins themselves!

The game was all about speed and maneuvering. Two teams of seven would compete against each other in this game. Players would rise on their brooms at a whistle and a ball would be set free. The objective was to shoot the ball into a goal high up in the air. The goal moved freely and erratically. It would zoom around for a minute, and then come to a dead standstill for a few seconds. Shooting was indeed difficult, and each goal fetched your team a hundred points. Meanwhile, one person on each team could use a chameleon charm to blend themselves into the background and seek the snitch, which would be let out at the game's beginning. The objective of the chameleon charm was to hide each Seeker from the other's eyes.

This game created a lot more injuries than others, especially for the Seekers and hence, the usage of shield charms and flexibility charms was allowed.

So Fred and George had taught the Gryffindors the game in their last Hogsmeade visit and had also given them free equipment. The Gryffindors had tried the game out and found it immensely entertaining. The other houses had caught on soon enough, and now there was to be an informal Goofball tournament at Hogwarts.

But on the insistence of teachers, and with the approval of Fred and George, they had decided that teams would span houses. Each person could make a team if he/she wished to and could involve members of any house. This was the first game at Hogwarts where all houses cooperated and played together. To Harry's surprise, Hermione had agreed to try the game out, and had proved herself a wonderful shooter. So the teams were decided, and the next day was to be the first Goofball match of the tournament and all students were equally excited.

"We have to win it, Harry," Hermione said, her cheeks flushed. "Don't worry, we will. After all, you have the best seeker in the century in your presence here!" declared Harry. After defeating Lord Voldemort, he had grown more confident and accepted his talents for what they were. But he had also grown very thoughtful and sober, and at times, he would be physically present on Earth, but his mind would be elsewhere.

Today, though, Harry was geared up and ready to go. As the Captain of his team, he had taken lead and set an example by conducting school-wide tryouts. The usual barriers between houses were lowered and eager to be in Harry's team, people from all houses turned up for tryouts. Since he was first picker, Harry's team was the best, but there were some others which would give stiff competition and Harry was looking forward to the next day...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE : I wanted both the Weasley twins alive for this story, so consider Fred alive. So far, the rest of the characters are the way they are. And please do review if you like the story, or even if you don't. And I'm asking again - should Percy and Annabeth be brought in after the Titan war, or after the Giant war?**


	3. Chapter 3 - Eagerly Awaiting

**AUTHOR'S NOTE - Since I didn't get a single opinion, I'm just deciding to bring in Percy and Annabeth after the giant war...**

Percy was geared up for the treasure hunt challenge. It was a month or so after the seven Heroes of Olympus had returned from Greece. They had defeated Gaia and her forces and peace had been established between the Greeks and the Romans. In fact, exchange programs had been started and every year, twenty Romans would be handpicked to come to Camp Half-blood and twenty would be chosen to go to Camp Jupiter.

Percy and Annabeth were to stay at Camp Half-blood for some more time, and when they turned 18, they would shift to New Rome. Until then, they planned to enjoy every peaceful moment of their lives. Of course, with demigods like Leo and the Stolls around, life was never too peaceful.

The Hephaestus cabin, under the great Captain Leo Valdez, had challenged other cabins (or cabin alliances) to a camp wide treasure hunt. The Hephaestus cabin was organising it and the winners would get an amazing gift made by Leo and Co. And of course, the usual pride that went with defeating other cabins at a game.

Poseidon cabin - Percy and Tyson, was allied with the Athena cabin- under Annabeth, and the Aphrodite cabin- under Piper. Percy really wondered at how much the Aphrodite cabin had changed since he had first come to Camp. Piper really had unveiled the talent of her house. The Aphrodite girls were taught to fight not only with daggers and swords, but also with their charms and manipulations. All this made the Aphrodite girls tough enemies, if not formidable.

Athena cabin was, of course, one of the most dangerous ones to cross, what with Annabeth at its head. The children of Athena were heck-smart, determined and tough as rocks.

Percy and Tyson had their own powers and always lent something unique, an edge, to whichever team they were in. Percy's powers were unrivalled and Tyson's instruments were life-saving...

Yes, the hunt was definitely going to be fun!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE - Please don't kill me, I ****_am_**** sorry for another action-less chapter. But I'm promising an awesome treasure hunt if you bother to read the next chapter. Releasing the Most-Entertaining Demigod Treasure Hunt soon… Stay glued! And please review! **


	4. Chapter 4 - Treasure Hunt

The big day was here. Yep! The Camp-Wide Treasure Hunt was starting in another hour.

Alliances at Camp Half-blood usually lasted well into the year. But this time, there was a big twist. Just this morning, the wood nymphs, who were usually allied with the satyrs (if ever they took part in games), joined the Ares group. The satyrs were fuming and were yet to decide their stance. They could most definitely not compete alone. Many satyrs were off doing their duty at various schools around the country, and the few that were left were hardly enough to form half a team.

So it was no big surprise to Percy when Grover, who was on a work-break, approached him. "Of course, man! We'll teach those nymphs a lesson, won't we?" exclaimed Percy, to which Grover gave a goofy grin and did a fist-bump with Percy. Battle strategies (or should I say, scouring strategies) were discussed, the plans were duly modified and everything was ready.

When Leo announced the briefing for the Hunt, all teams marched in and gathered around. "All right, listen up, teams!", Leo shouted. "We have six groups in all. And six clues before you reach the treasure. There are different sets of clues for each team, but the treasure is the same for everyone. Whichever team reaches it first will be required to bring it back to the Big House, and only then will the team be declared the winner. No team can access another team's clues so do not even begin to think about sabotage. After I blow the whistle now, you can go back to your cabins. In one of them will be your first clue and it will lead to the next and so on. Hephaestus cabin members will be patrolling to keep a check on cheaters, and also, you can approach them if you have any doubts. All clear?"

The teams nodded, grim looks on their faces and got ready to move. Leo blew his whistle and each group sped off towards their own cabin. Percy and Tyson raced to their cabin and dashed in, looking around for the clue. In a minute, they had scanned the entire cabin and they found no sign of a clue. They were about to leave when the fountain in the room squirted water at them. Astonished, Percy turned around, only to get another squirt of water on his face. Tyson raced to the fountain and turned it off. The fish that spouted water was whirring like crazy and as soon as Tyson touched it, it spouted up a piece of parchment. Eagerly, Tyson unrolled it and read it out loud, "What happens when Dirt-Face's blisters burst? P.S. - Don't get crushed... I'm not making your funeral shroud!"

As soon as Tyson read it, the parchment burst into flames and was consumed in a second. Tyson was left staring at his hands. "Well, maybe we won't read the clues out loud next time", said Percy. Just then, the Aphrodite girls walked up to Percy. Piper asked him, "So, where's the clue? Annabeth didn't find it and neither did we, so I'm guessing it was here!" "Yes, it _was. _But it burnt up as soon as we read it out loud." said Percy. He quickly filled her in on what had happened, and by then, Annabeth had arrived with her brothers and sisters. Tyson shouted out the clue so everyone could hear it. One Athena girl commented, "It doesn't take a brainiac to figure out that Dirt-Face means Gaia, but what about the rest of it?"

"I didn't even know Gaia had blisters. I thought all goddesses had perfect faces", said Malcolm, grinning. "What about the feast of Spes? If Gaia had blisters, they must have surely burst after her plan failed last August." said an Aphrodite girl, shuddering at the thought of blisters and their bursting. Annabeth was thinking hard and Piper looked like a realisation had just hit her. "Dirt-Face doesn't mean Gaia. It means the Earth, since Gaia is basically a word for 'earth'."

"Yes, of course. You're right, Piper! If Dirt-Face means Earth, then blisters must mean..." "Volcanoes!" Percy finished Annabeth's sentence. "And what happens when a volcano bursts? Lava flows out, of course!" Piper was one step ahead, however. "We need to get to the climbing wall, now!" Comprehending nods met Piper's declaration and a minute later, the group was at the lava wall, panting. "I'm climbing", said Tyson. Tyson was resistant to heat and so was Leo. So something made Percy think that the clue would be at a place only Tyson, with his superb heat-resistance, could reach.

Tyson was up the wall in a jiffy. Lava spurted at random paces and intervals, but it didn't bother Tyson. He just kept climbing until he reached the top. "Look around!" prompted Annabeth. In response, Tyson's gaze roved around where he was standing. He fixed it on one spot and then getting down to his knees, he felt around there. "Got it", he declared at last and stood up, flourishing a neatly wrapped up scroll. "Leo must have used the magical cloth Calypso made him", observed Piper and Annabeth nodded.

Tyson climbed down and held out the parchment to Annabeth. She unrolled it and silently read through the message. She glanced up at the rest of them, a look of pure bewilderment on her face. She passed it to Piper and after she had read it, the same expression found itself on her face. "Will you tell me what it is?"asked Percy. "Here, read it yourself", Piper held out the parchment to Percy. He was just about to take it, when it shriveled up and turned to ashes in Piper's outstretched palm.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE - Goofball next, or a continuation of the Treasure Hunt?**


	5. Chapter 5 - The First Match

A new morning, a new game and new brooms. Perfect! Fred and George had minted money in the short time since they had opened Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. They were the richest joke shop and manufacturing unit in history now. And for the first organised trial of Goofball, they had generously sponsored new brooms, specially made to suit the fast pace of the game, for each and every player.

It was called the Whiz-bolt and was even faster than the Firebolt-2, which had just arrived in the market. Harry was rearing to try out his new broom and so was everyone else. The brooms had arrived the previous night, after practice-times, and today every team was up early for some last-minute practice.

Harry's team - Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Susan Bones from Hufflepuff, Padma Patil from Ravenclaw and Greg Jones, a second-year from Slytherin, marched confidently onto the pitch. They had practiced at dawn, before the all the other teams had come and clamoured for the court. The new brooms were indeed very fast, at top speed, one could zip past your eyes without you knowing it. But of course, there were certain speed restrictions for the first game so everyone could get used to the new brooms.

Ron was the 'rebounder' of his team since he was tall and fairly quick on his broom (Hermione and Harry had taught everyone some terms used in Muggle basketball, which was quite similar to Goofball in essence). Ginny was amazing at intercepting passes. She could flit past you and take the ball, before you even realised what was happening. Harry was, of course, the seeker. Hermione could shoot really well and so could Padma Patil (but it _was _very annoying when they began talking about parabola angles and momentary lapses in the basket's movement). Susan Bones was fast and could avoid other tacklers easily. Greg Jones had been a hesitant addition to the team, since he was only a second-year (and moreover, a Slytherin) but he had proved that he was very good at scoring and tackling.

* * *

The first match was between Harry's team and Dean Thomas'. Dean won the toss and chose to start. Madam Hooch (who had very reluctantly agreed to referee the matches) blew the whistle and everyone was up. Dean passed to Seamus, who passed to Dennis Creevey. Dennis sped up to the goal and aimed a shot. But as soon as it left his hand, Ginny was there and she took it. She circled around the players once and passed the ball to Hermione. Hermione had got herself into a good position and she shot. It went in through the goal, which gave another crazy spin before launching into a move-faster-than-you-can-see cycle. The ball fell down, Ron swooped and caught it. In an instant Seamus was trying to tackle him. He succeeded in getting the ball and passed to Parvati. So the match was going on, when an invisible Harry ran into something he could not see. His shield knocked against the other Seeker's and before they could collide again, Harry moved off into the opposite direction. Just then, the ball came near him and bumped his shield, shooting into Ginny's hands. "Hey, Harry!", she said and sped away with the ball. Now, the entire pitch's eyes were on Harry. He thanked Merlin that he had the chameleon charm on and flew away to the other side of the stadium.

The ball was in play again and Harry couldn't help but watch as his team flew around the pitch, passing to each other. Padma grabbed the ball in both hands and leaned upwards. The goal was moving left and right periodically. She shot a little away from the goal and as the ball curved upwards the goal came to a stop underneath it and the ball flew through. Cheers were heard from the stadium. Neville and Luna had raised a flag with the colours of all houses on it and were waving it to and fro. Harry couldn't help but grin at the marvellous moment. All Hogwarts houses were at peace and for the first time, you could see red, blue, green and yellow everywhere.

He was jerked to reality when a collective cheer went through the crowd again. He looked to the goal and saw that Dean had scored a basket. Ginny was under the basket again and caught the ball in her hands. She tore off to circle the stadium again and threw the ball to Greg. Greg sped to the goal, faked a shoot and when Dean moved above him, he passed to Ginny. Ginny flew up close to the goal and shot, but the crazy-moving goal jerked away at the last instant and the ball fell down. Ginny raced after it in a dive, caught it and passed to Hermione. Hermione was about to pass, when Parvati blocked her way. Instead she turned and did a backward shot. Miraculously, the goal stopped moving and the ball sailed cleanly through it. The stadium erupted and Harry was shouting hard too. He ran into Ginny in his excitement, who looked around astonished once, and then called out, "Is that you, Harry?" "At your service!", shouted back Harry. "Got the snitch yet?", she asked. Harry cursed. He had forgotten all about the snitch in the excitement of watching this crazy game. He tore away and circled the stadium, looking hard for the snitch. He thought he caught a movement once, but it turned out to be the other team's Seeker. Their shields bumped again and Harry moved on. This bumping business was really getting too weird. The crowd cheered again and Harry tilted his head to see the ball go through the goal. apparently Ron had shot, because he zoomed around the stadium, stopped once and bowed. But while everyone was watching this little show, Harry's eyes remained on the goal. His Seeker's eyes had been trained to pick out the golden colour, which meant the snitch was there. Immediately, his eyes trained on a seemingly innocent blob floating out of everyone's eyesight, inside the goal at one of its edges. He rushed to the goal and it ran away. he chased it around its circumference of movement and finally caught it. It struggled to move away, but he held on tight. "Where've you been hiding all this time? Naughty Snitch!", said Harry in his excitement. He shook the goal, the snitch flew out and the next instant it was in the confines of his hand. The whole stadium was looking at the trapped goal, whispering and staring. even the players were astonished. "Of course, they can't see me!" said Harry and still holding the snitch, he took his wand out from his robe and removed the chameleon charm. Immediately the crowd was even more bewildered. It hit them in a moment, though, as Harry opened his palm and the snitch flew out. Then the cheers and shouting began.


	6. Chapter 6 - Zeus' Fist

**DISCLAIMER - I don't own anything but the plot.**

Annabeth took Percy aside after the initial astonishment had subsided, and told him, "The clue was 'The first of first and the last of last'."

"Hmmm… sounds weird, but why did that astonish you so much? Treasure hunt clues are meant to be crystal, after all!" Percy said.

"It's 'cryptic', Seaweed Brain, not 'crystal'. And that was definitely not why Piper and me were gaping, silly! Olympus' symbol flashed for a moment below the clue, and a message appeared. It read "Your clues lead not only to the treasure, but also to a revelation. Be prepared."

Percy stared, "The gods communicated with us! Or Leo is playing an extended trick to get us confused."

"I don't think Leo would do anything of the kind, Percy. He really wanted this hunt to be successful and he wouldn't use such tactics to get the teams confused." By then, Piper had walked up. She 'piped' up at once,

"No. It can't be Leo. I'm sure he wouldn't mess with Olympus' symbol like that."

"Anyway," said Percy, "we should just go ahead with the hunt and face whatever is coming when it comes." Annabeth nodded and spoke,

"Now, the clue said 'The first of first and the last of last'. I think I know this one…"

Annabeth thought a little. Then, her face brightened and she blurted, "It's just a play with words, that's all. 'The first of first' means the beginning of the word 'first' and 'the last of last' means the ending of the word 'last'!"

"So F…T," said Piper, catching on. "That can't be right. I think it's the first two letters and the last two letters. 'Fi…st'.

"Fist!" Percy said.

"Zeus' Fist!" exclaimed Annabeth and then shouted, "Race you there!"

Within an instant, she was away and running towards the forest. Piper and Percy exchanged looks that quite clearly said - What is wrong with her today! They decided they had better inform their team. They went and announced their deductions. Some people's faces were downcast. They were disappointed that they hadn't even got to listen to the clue. Some were pale. The Zeus' Fist was known throughout the Camp as a cursed place. Definitely not where you should hide a treasure hunt clue! But then, this was Leo's hunt and when Leo did something, it was sure to be something crazy and unexpected. "Race you to Zeus' Fist. Whoever gets the clue first gets to skip all cleaning duties for a month!" Percy shouted. The race was on!

* * *

Annabeth reached the Zeus' Fist out of breath. She waited and inhaled deeply, before walking closer to the outcropping of rocks. This place brought back some bad memories to Annabeth. It was here that a path into Daedalus' Labyrinth had been found in Camp Half-blood. It was here that Luke's army had emerged from the Labyrinth to attack Camp. And it was here that the monster, Kampe, had died. Many called it a cursed place, and though Annabeth did not believe in the legends, she could not deny that the place was eerie.

Gathering up her nerves, she walked to the closest edge of the outcropping and surveyed it from all sides. Where could Leo have hidden a clue? She had just made up her mind to climb up to its peak, when the silence around her was broken by the sounds of running feet. Annabeth started, then realised it was her team, which she had so unceremoniously abandoned. Percy ran up to the Zeus' Fist and stared at it thoughtfully.

"Anyone know where the clue could be?" Percy shouted to the children and satyrs assembled there.

"Hmmm... what about at the peak, where we used to put the flag during Capture the Flag?" one boy shouted.

"Alright, then. You can climb up and look," Percy said. The boy eagerly climbed up to the peak, looked there and shook his head slightly.

"Not that easy, then. Think hard, team. There's some trick to this," Percy declared.

"What about the old entrance to the Labyrinth?" an Aphrodite cabin girl suggested fearfully.

No one spoke. "I suppose that is a possibility... I'll go and look," said Percy. He carefully avoided Kampe's embedded scimitars on the rock and climbed up to the entrance spot. He looked for Daedalus' mark that was found at the entrance of every passage to the Labyrinth, but of course, it wasn't there. Since the great inventor's death, the Labyrinth had collapsed and all the passages were destroyed, including this one.

Percy was just about to look away, when something shimmery caught his eye. Hephaestus' symbol glowed brightly. Percy placed his palm against it, and a grating noise was heard.

"Up here!" he called out to everyone, and began to climb inside the narrow tunnel that had been formed by the shifting of some rocks. He found some handholds and lowered himself in cautiously. Within a moment, his feet touched the ground and he found that he was standing in a ditch that was just his height, with everyone staring at him wide-eyed from outside. Percy moved his feet around, and kicked a hard object. Bending down, he saw that it was a small wooden crate. He picked it up and handed it to Grover, looking on excitedly from outside. Using the handholds (or footholds, whatever), he climbed back out into the damp air of the forest.

Grover had the crate and was trying to get it open. When the lid gave no sign of budging, he smacked it on the ground. It still didn't open. Then several satyrs gathered around him, held the lid and pulled. The wood splintered, but the lid was still jammed.

"Here, let me try," said Tyson, and took the box. His hands, moved along the length of the box, and after examining it thoroughly, Tyson said, "There's a lock. We need to jiggle it open." He looked around on the forest floor, and his gaze rested on a single, sharp pine needle. He bent, picked it up and pushed it into the minute space between the lid and the box. He jiggled the needle about for a minute, and then something clicked.

The lid popped open, and a piece of parchment fell to the ground. Everyone held their breaths as Tyson bent to pick it up...

**A/N - My sincere thanks to TwiHardFoeever for editing this story. You've done an amazing job!**

**Also, thanks to all my readers, who've reviewed this story so far. Let's see how many reviews I can get for this chapter. I'll post the next one sooner if I get over 10 reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Victory and Celebrations

**A/N - So here's the next chapter. Really sorry for the long wait… **  
**Do review and tell me what your opinions are. Finally, the demigods and the wizards are going to be introduced to each other.**  
**But first, there's the treasure hunt to finish. Next chapter will be the Gods' revelation, but it won't be coming out until March 15. My tenth grade board examinations are about to start. (Boohoo) Wish me luck!**

Harry and his team returned to a chaotic common room. Their decisive victory over the opposing team had put them in the top slot for now.

The first Goofball match had been a roaring success, and the entire school was talking about it. Almost all the first-years and most of the second-years had turned up for the first match, but the next one was going to have an even bigger audience, Harry was sure. News at Hogwarts spread very quickly. Harry remembered when he had asked Ginny to go out with him to Hogsmeade after the first week back at Hogwarts. She had agreed immediately, of course and within an hour of it, the entire school knew it and was talking about it.

So, anyway, the game had been a startlingly huge success and Harry knew Fred and George would be beaming at each other over the success of their game, even now. Those twins had already made enough money to settle down and live the rest of their lives in luxury. But their dream, Harry knew (he was the only person they had told), was to expand their sales to the entire world, and then open a branch of products for the muggle world too. Arthur Weasley would be elated, and they would be the most-talked-about company in the whole world. It was a very, very ambitious dream, but Harry knew that if anyone could do it, the twins could. He had given them his enthusiastic moral support and they had said, "When you retire from Auror service, Harry, you will be the brand ambassador for our company. Imagine it... The Boy Who Lived (twice!) advertising our brand! We will have England under our cap in a month!"

Harry was jerked back to reality when Ginny squeezed his arm and leaned in to kiss him happily. He gazed around the common room and beamed at no one in particular.

Surprisingly, Dean's team had walked up to Harry's team as soon as they entered the common room and had congratulated them. "But look out for your lives next match. We won't go quite this easy on you next time!" Dean said teasingly.

"Sure, we'll be ready!" Ginny replied. Dean snorted and Ginny punched him on the arm. After the war, things had changed between Dean and Ginny. They weren't awkward or embarrassed around each other anymore. They seemed to have developed a lasting friendship, and Harry was happy about it. He knew for a fact that Dean had been sending furtive stares at a Ravenclaw girl for the past few months and teased him about it until Dean went as red as a tomato.

Relieved glances were sent all around the common room. The audience had been scared that the two teams would be at each others' necks because of Harry's victory. But their suspicions were proven groundless when Dean suggested a celebratory party.

"It's been a long time since we've had a party to celebrate a game victory! So let's have one now in honor of Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. After all, we Gryffindors stick together always! Why have a fight over a crazy game now?"

The Gryffindors cheered and hooted for Dean. Dennis Creevey spoke up, "I think the losers deserve a loud round of applause too. They put up quite a tough competition for Harry's team!"

"On this note, I want to tell you all about an idea that has been brewing in my head for the past couple of days. Why don't we name our goofball teams something? It's quite difficult to say 'Harry's team' or 'Dean's team' all the time..." Hermione said uncertainly.

The Gryffindors roared their approval. It seemed as if they were unable to do anything silently on that excitement-filled day. Hermione flushed, pleased at their approval of her plan, and sat down next to Ron. Ron took her hand immediately, and she flushed an even brighter red.

At one, the entire common room hooted, and the party began. Cocktails were passed around, music was played and everybody celebrated, warmth and happiness enveloping the students all at once.

* * *

Professor McGonagall trudged to her office wearily. Apart from being Headmistress, she was still Gryffindor head and Transfiguration teacher. She was seriously considering transferring responsibilities of Gryffindor head to some other teacher, though. She had just returned after instructing her noisy children to stop partying and go to bed. It was almost midnight, and they were still up, 'celebrating'. They just needed some excuse to stay up late, didn't they?

She was about to call it a day, and go to her own bed, when she heard the tapping of an owl outside her window. She let it in, and took the letter rolled up and tied to one of its feet.

Headmistress McGonagall read the letter thoroughly and sighed. She was not at all sure about this new plan of the Ministry's. Kingsley Shacklebolt had been elected unanimously as the new Minister for Magic, and he had decided to introduce the wizarding world to some other people who had been in hiding. He thought it was time to forge some new allies, should their help ever be required and should any other dark wizard like Voldemort ever rise.

Shacklebolt had set up communications with a centaur called Chiron, and soon, something big was about to happen at Hogwarts. The students would be let in on the secret, and then, the rest of the magical world. Hogwarts students would be sent to 'Camp Half-blood' (which, by the way, was not a camp for wizard half-bloods, as one would immediately assume) and would be taught various muggle forms of combat. During school-time, children from the Camp would be sent to Hogwarts for magical training.

McGonagall assumed there would be an experiment of sorts, where she would have to select certain students to go to Camp, and try the process out, before all Hogwarts students could be sent there. There would be no problem at all in selecting those students, though. Of course, it had to be the Golden Trio as they had begun to be called. And some other students who had survived the Battle of Hogwarts. They had been toughened by war, and would be ready to face any challenge. They were strong, capable of defending themselves and resourceful. Needless to include, Miss Granger's intelligence and decision-making capability would finish the qualities required for such a trial, perfectly.

And though these students were enjoying themselves perfectly, or so everyone else thought, Minerva could see that they really needed a change of atmosphere. At Hogwarts, they would always be reminded of their dead friends, of the terrible situations they had had to face, of the stands they had had to take in these very corridors, in these very classrooms and halls. Yes, her decision was made and it would stand firm...

**A/N - Many thanks to my editor, Percy-Jackson-is-the-best-ever.  
Any thoughts? Any comments? Any suggestions? Do review. Or feel free to PM me. Either is fine!  
By the way, what do you think I should name the Goofball teams? I want an especially good one for Harry's team! You suggest and I'll pick!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Centuries' worth of secrecy!

**A/N - Many thanks to my editor, Percy-Jackson-is-the-best-ever and even more to (insert your name here) for reading this! Hope you enjoy!**

Tyson picked up the piece of parchment and read aloud,

"'People say it's what keeps the Earth spinning! Too cheesy for me and you, though... We just call it a perk of being the son/daughter of a particular goddess!'"

Piper interjected immediately. "Love!"

Annabeth spoke then, "No. Intelligence, or science, or something like that..."

Tyson said, "That's not all, though. In small font, below, it's written, 'P.S. - It's a 'wanderous' happening!'"

"Don't you mean 'wonderous', Tyson?" asked Malcolm, Annabeth's brother.

"No, it's written 'wanderous', or maybe I'm reading wrong..." Tyson said, hesitantly.

"No, I don't think so, Tyson. I'm sure it's meant to be 'wanderous'. Another play on the words!" exclaimed Annabeth.

The group feel silent then, as everyone tried to decipher the clue.

"Let's list all female goddesses who have children. Athena, Aphrodite, Nemesis... Okay, the list would be very long. Forget it!" said Clara, Piper's cabin-mate.

Then a satyr jumped up, "Maybe it's Hecate. The perk of being Hecate's child would be-"

He was cut short as everyone chanted together, "Magic!"

"I'm sure that's right! Magic does keep the Earth spinning. I know, I know, Annabeth, you're going to say it's gravity or something... But you have to agree that the quote is cheesy!"

"Wholeheartedly!" Annabeth replied.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go to the Hecate cabin. I can't think of anything else in Camp related to magic... except maybe enchiladas and coffee," Grover declared.

The entire team made its way to the Hecate cabin, Percy leading them inside. They looked around. In a few minutes, every nook and cranny was explored. The cabin was pretty big, but a few dozen people were searching at once, and soon, the team was trooping out, disappointed that they hadn't found anything. Piper, Annabeth, and Percy were having a silent conversation near the entrance of the Hecate cabin, when a horde of children marched up. Leo ran up to Percy, with Jason, Frank and Hazel at his heels. Ever after the Giant war, the seven quest members were inseparable. They preferred to hang out together, since no one else could really understand what they had been through. And as Leo said, the inside jokes weren't funny if you had to explain them all the time.

So the seven gathered together and spoke in hushed voices. Leo was speaking, "So the treasure hunt was supposed to end at Aphrodite cabin, but everyone's clues apparently led them here!"

"And don't forget the symbol of the gods flashing on our clue!" Jason put in.

"Oh, you too? We had the symbol flashing on one of our clues, too!" Piper exclaimed.

"So a mysterious-someone has changed all the clues to lead to the Hecate cabin. Maybe we should go inside and check once more for a hint to what is going on here," suggested Percy.

They all trooped back into the Hecate cabin, one behind the other. As soon as they were gathered in there, the seven shut the door searched around; though it was in vain, they didn't find anything this time, either.

"What I can't figure out is, is this a prank or a real message from the gods?" Jason asked.

"I don't think this could be a prank. Who else would have had access to-"

At this point, Chiron opened the door to the cabin and walked in - or rather, trotted in. "Good, so you are all here! Any time now, the portal to take us to Olympus will open, so be ready."

"But what about my treasure hunt?" Leo asked, rather hurt that all his efforts had been for nothing.

Chiron merely smiled at him kindly and said, "That has been taken care of. Your Hephaestus cabin mates have sorted out the confusion, and even now, the teams are racing to their final destination."

Leo grinned happily and opened his mouth to say something, but right then, a portal shimmered into existence. "You are rather late! Come on in!" a grave voice announced. It was Hecate.

Chiron entered the portal along with the seven demigods. They stood in a row, marveling at the throne room. Each time they went to Olympus, their breath would be taken away by its beauty. They would never get used to it, certainly. In a moment, they had regained their senses, though. They bowed before the gods and greeted them together.

"Now, we do not have time for detailed explanations. So I would like Hecate to explain why we have brought you here today," Zeus declared.

Hecate stepped up to a small altar-like structure that had been built on one side of the throne room. She consulted her hand-clock and then spoke, "Welcome. The time has come for me to reveal something to you demigods. We have been contemplating on this issue for quite a while-" she swept her arm, indicating herself and the rest of the Olympians, "-and we have decided to introduce you to another world. Just like the world of half-bloods has been in hiding from mortals all these years, another world - the magical world, exists hidden away by spells and concealments. They are the wizarding world, all descendants of me and my blood."

A proud look appeared on Hecate's face, which was immediately replaced by concern. "Though they are descended from me, they have grown over the centuries to be separate of the Greek culture. Their magic is now self-created and self-replenishing and they are completely separate from me. But that also means that the knowledge of their ancestor - the Olympians, has faded away from their memories. So, for many long years, our existence was unknown to them just as theirs was unknown to you."

This 'trivial' bit of information Hecate had just spurted out caught the demigods by surprise. They were still processing the news when Leo managed to sputter a- "Wow! So are they gonna teach us to pull bunnies out of hats? I've always wanted to do that!"

Hecate glared at Leo and said, pointedly, "No. Their magic is vast and complicated. It is not to do with pulling bunnies out of hats, but channeling their energy through wands to modify their surroundings according to their wish."

Leo was confused by the explanation. Piper laughed at his expression, and immediately, Leo wished he hadn't joked about it. Annabeth was still staring into space, musing about what Hecate had said. Jason and Percy were confused too, but tried not to show it.

"Well? Can we get to the point?" Zeus asked.

Hecate hastily said, "Forgive me for the momentary lapse," and continued, like a lecturer giving her discourse. "Now, we will all speak to Kingsley Shacklebolt, a wizard, and the Minister for Magic. And by the way, I forgot to tell you that the wizarding world has just fought a long war against a dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort. They are still recovering from this war, and I would advise you not to ask too many uncomfortable questions when you go to be tutored at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts? Is that seriously the name of a place?" said Leo, cracking up.

At the same time, Piper spoke up, "We're actually going to meet the wizards?"

"Of course, girl! Why would we bother to tell you all this otherwise? You and the rest of your company will be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the period of one academic year. They will teach you their magic. It has been confirmed that all demigods are capable of using this magic, so there should be no problem. And this summer, some selected students from Hogwarts will come to Camp Half-blood to learn your way of fighting," said Zeus.

"I suppose this is to equip us to face further challenges better? If we knew magic before, defeating Kronos and Gaea would have been many times easier," Annabeth said.

"Precisely. Now gear up to meet Kingsley Shacklebolt, and a few pupils from Hogwarts who will be your classmates there," Hecate said. "Iris, would you?"

The rainbow goddess Iris rose and with a snap of her fingers, created a rainbow in the air. The seven demigods held their breaths (yes, they expected to see cackling witches on brooms and tall wizards with pointed hats) as Hecate IM'd the Minister for Magic...

**A/N - Sorry for the late update, but my board examinations are going on, and I have to study a lot.**  
**I had Maths today, and it went really well, so you could assume this a celebratory chapter! Who knows, if my Science paper is as good, I might do two chapters at once!**

**As usual, reviews are very much appreciated! Do take the time to review if you like where this story is going… criticisms and suggestions are welcome too. I'll take them to heart and try to improve. I really want to be a good writer, and your advice will help me on the way to that! Thanks again for reading this, and do review!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Iris Message Meeting

Hermione was excited, and with good reason.

In a few minutes, she would see them. Those 'demigods'. If they even existed.

The Ministry of Magic had done a 'big reveal', as Hogwarts students called it. They had announced to entire school the existence of a particular group of people - the different 'halfbloods'. Or demigods - children of Greek gods or Roman gods- with mortals!

Would you believe it? Hermione had not- at least, not for a long time. She had stubbornly kept up her 'this-is-a-ridiculous-joke' stand. But that was until she was shown a pamphlet from 'Camp Half-Blood' which explained all about the gods and their mortifying habit of having children with mortals that caught their demigods were apparently attacked by monsters wherever they went, and to stay safe, a camp had been built for them near Long Island Sound, and another in San Francisco.

Of course, a mere pamphlet had not been enough to make her believe this whole drama. She had done some research. Professor McGonagall told her, and a shocked assembly of Hogwarts students, that wizards had originally descended from a Greek goddess, Hecate. So she had searched for information about the origin of wizards, and sure enough, after a few days of deep searching, she had found evidence- murky- yet clear to the seeker.

But today, Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister for Magic, had promised her full proof.

What Hermione hadn't expected was to see the gods themselves! And not only that, she would get to meet the most famous demigods of the century!

The prospect was too thrilling to be skeptical, and she had deserted that attitude for a more cheerful, anticipating one. Harry and Ron were with her, of course.

They were at the Atrium of the Ministry headquarters. It was empty at this moment. All staff and employees had been evacuated for the meeting with the gods. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood behind the Minister and a few other important personnel, dressed in their robes with their wands out. They were waiting for an Iris message from the gods, whatever that was.

Kingsley stood on one leg, looking uncomfortable in his formal robes.

Ron opened his mouth to say something, no doubt about the awkward silence prevailing in the atmosphere, when something shimmered in the air and Hermione shushed him. A screen (or something of the sort) popped into existence, and through it, they could see a huge room with a hearth in the middle. The flames danced merrily, lending an unearthly glow to the entire room. The celing was broad and glittering with constellations. It reminded Hermione of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The gods were seated on their thrones in a U-formation. They were huge - and they glowed with an aura no one could describe.

The throne in the middle was bigger than the rest and its occupant had an air of authority to him. Hermione guessed he was Zeus, the king of the gods.

The screen was in corner of this magnificent room, and on an altar just beside it, stood a goddess whose face reflected centuries' worth of experience. Her hair was blonde and her eyes were a deadly black. Magic radiated from her, and it silenced even Minister Shacklebolt as he gazed upon the room.

The goddess, whom Hermione assumed to be Hecate, the goddess of magic, spoke then, "Welcome to the Hall of the Gods, my descendants!"

Kingsley snapped out of his trance at once, and said, "Thank you, goddess! We are honoured to be in your presence. And for our turn, we welcome you to the Ministry of Magic, London."

At this, Hecate gestured to some people in the room beside her, and they came forward.

A centaur was first, and following him were some humans... the trio assumed them to be the demigods.

Speaking of the Golden Trio, they had seen many things over the years, but nothing had left them as stunned as this sight. The gods were on their thrones, looking regal and majestic and... well, capable of zapping anyone out of existence.

Ron's mouth was open in wonder and the awe was clearly seen on the faces of Harry and Hermione, too.

"These are the most famous demigods of our times. They are true heroes, they have rescued Olympus not once, but over and over!" said Hecate and stepped back, as did the ministry officials on their side.

The demigods - seven of them - stepped into clear view. They were staring at Harry, Ron and Hermione with... confusion?

"Oh, man! They're human!" said a scrawny boy with black hair.

This statement broke the silence that was pervading in the room, and Ron burst out with a retort. "We're as human as you are!"

"That's a shame, really. I thought we would see an evil witch riding on a broom and cackling wildly, with a potion in one hand and a wand in another. And two wizards with long, pointed hats and prize poker faces." said the boy.

"I assume you were not informed about our complete normalcy in features, then. I assure you, witches and wizards are very different from what books and movies portray them to be!" said Hermione, calmly.

"Oh... uh, I think you should speak to Annabeth. She might be the only one who can understand you here!"

A beautiful girl standing next to him elbowed him hard, and said, "Alright then! We're normal teenagers, too. Only with a little monster-attracting problem."

Ron smiled widely at her, "Of course!"

It was Hermione's turn to elbow Ron then. He had an annoying habit of falling hard for the beautiful girls, and- much to Hermione's dismay- this girl was even prettier than the veelas.

"I'm Piper McLean, by the way, and I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, the goddess of love," she said, and a blimey-she's-so-beautiful goddess sitting on a throne acknowledged her statement with a nod.

Ron was still staring at Piper dreamily when a blonde boy next to Piper spoke up, "I'm Jason. I'm a son of Jupiter." With a glance at Ron, he added, "I'm Piper's boyfriend."

Ron's face fell visibly, and he went red when he saw everyone staring at him. Hermione smiled sweetly at Ron, with an I-told-you-so look and he gathered himself up.

The introductions went quickly then.

"Maybe you would like to show us what you can do?" asked Percy, the boy with intense sea-green eyes. It was the blonde, Jason, who was the most handsome, but somehow Percy was more confident and his attitude was charming.

"Um... yes, if you want us to. What should we show you?" Harry asked.

Percy's eyes lit up. "Can you make things fly? I've always wanted to see a conjurer who could make everything in the room fly around him!"

Hermione laughed and obliged, lifting Ron's wand, which he had placed aside, into the air, with a quietly muttered, "Wingardium Leviosa."

"Hey, my wand!" protested Ron.

"How many times have I told you, Ronald, never to leave your wand lying around? You're so careless..."

Hermione trailed off as she saw the seven demigods, and Chiron staring at her and the flying wand in interest.

Just then, Hermione returned the wand to Ron's hand, ignoring his silent cursing.

"How did you like that?" she asked.

"That was cool! You did it so easily!" Leo said.

"Oh, Harry's Patronus Charm is the one to see. What I did was nothing!" said Hermione, trying to look modest.

"Show us, then!" asked Piper, to which Harry made his Patronus appear.

The silvery form of a stag bounded up to him. He patted its head, at which it disappeared into thin air. The demigods were now paying attention. That spell looked really powerful.

"What can you do, ginger-boy?" asked Jason, grinning.

"My name is Ron, thank you! And I can do this!" Ron transfigured Harry's spectacles into a dancing kettle with an abnormally huge spout.

The seven demigods cried out in astonishment, and Hermione cried out in frustration, "Ron! It was not supposed to have such a huge snout! What you have learnt from transfiguration class, I simply cannot imagine!"

"Shut up, Hermione. At least it didn't burst into flames!" Ron said angrily.

Harry was looking at the two of them with a bemused expression, when the demigods started clapping.

"Thank you. But it was no big deal, really," said Hermione.

"What about you? You are the children of gods. You must have something interesting to show us!" said Harry.

The demigods exchanged glances, and Percy stepped forward first.

"I can control water," he said.

A spherical aquarium of sorts was in one corner of the hall. Percy raised his hand slightly, and immediately a huge wave splashed out of the glass sphere. Then Percy created a mini-whirlpool in it. Jason stepped forward, grinning again, and created a cloud of lightning above the sphere. Percy and Jason together created a terrifying little storm in that corner of the room. Ron's jaw fell, and he stayed agape.

Next, Hazel stepped forward, and made a pile of gold and rubies appear next to her. And within a moment, the pile had been transferred to the wizards' side of the screen!

Ron stepped forward, and picked up a ruby, looking at it suspiciously.

Hazel smiled, and the ruby vanished from his hand. The pile reappeared on her side.

Still smiling, she said, "I never really sent it there, you know. It was here all the time, but I bent the Mist to make you see that illusion."

Ron's jaw fell lower when Frank stepped forward and turned into a dragon.

"Fight the fire-boy, fire-dragon!" screamed Leo and set himself aflame.

Hermione was stunned. These demigods were so powerful. She had never seen anything like this, never before! They could have easily defeated Voldemort, even!

And she had a sneaking suspicion that this display showed not even half their true extent of powers!

The Frank-dragon and the flaming-Leo proceeded to have a fight, which ended when Frank turned back into his own self, and Leo reluctantly extinguished his fire.

Ron's lower jaw seemed to be permanently separated from his upper jaw, when Piper stepped up and said, "Close your mouth!"

Ron shut his mouth immediately.

Piper then asked Harry to start dancing like a chimpanzee, which he did without questioning.

Piper explained her charmspeak, and then stepped back.

When Ron, Harry and Hermione looked expectantly towards Annabeth, she shook her head ruefully. "I have no special powers. I only use my wit to get out of situations."

Ron immediately said, "Hermione, she's just like you! The anchor to reality! I wonder where Harry and me would have gone without you!"

Hermione pretended to consider the question, and replied, "Oh, I don't know? Azkaban?"

Harry and Ron laughed at that in good spirit.

"Well, that was truly amazing!" said Hermione.

"What you guys did was cool too! I can't wait to learn it all!" Jason said immediately.

Kingsley, who had been standing in the background until then, spoke, "You will, soon enough. Since you do not know any magic as of now, you will be learning separately for one month. And we expect you to be good learners, because you will have to cover up the portions of six years before you can join your classmates. But it should be easier for you, I think. Your descent will ensure that your magic is very strong. Your spells, if correctly delivered, will have a much greater impact than those of normal wizards."

Except Annabeth, the demigods were struggling to take it all in. Kingsley immediately reassured them that all of this would be explained in much clearer detail later, at Hogwarts.

_It's barely two weeks since term began. And so many things have happened already. I wonder if we will ever have a peaceful life?_ Hermione was lost deep in thought, as the Minister continued to brief Chiron with some details of the demigods' expected arrival at Hogwarts.

As Hermione's thoughts were wandering, Harry and Ron, for the first time, were listening to Minister Shacklebolt with their undivided attention.

"There will be a portal between Hogwarts and Camp Half-blood. This is so that the other demigods of your camp can come to Hogwarts from time to time, so that they get used to the castle. They will also be having some special classes. However, I think these classes will be few and far between. Our teachers are very busy this year, and so is the Ministry, what with having to undo whatever damage Voldemort did..."

Chiron spoke gently, "We understand your position, sir! And we will certainly give you your space. But, as for the special classes, I think I might have forgot to mention that many of our campers attend mortal... er, muggle schools during the school term. So we will have very few campers from Camp Half-blood."

"That's alright! Headmistress McGonagall will want to take at least a tour of the castle, and teach them some basic spellwork, though. So we will take as many campers as there are for these special classes. But these seven here will be coming to Hogwarts as full-time students. They will be sorted into houses, and will live at Hogwarts. They will also take all the normal classes, once they are able to, and attend the NEWTs which are the qualification examinations. After that, they will be recognised as wizards wherever they go, and will receive our assistance whenever they require it."

Chiron beamed broadly and replied, "Thank you, sir! We are also willing to give you our assistance anytime you require it. And I would also like your students to spend some time each week at Camp, learning to fight from us, and learning our way of living."

"Certainly. I think Headmistress McGonagall will be all too willing to allocate a period for this purpose. By the way, she sends you her apologies that she couldn't attend this meeting."

"Oh, that is perfectly fine."

After this, Harry and Ron delved into a whispered conversation about what they had heard. They decided to bring Hermione up to speed later, as she was still lost in thoughts.

Soon, they had to bid farewell to the demigods and bow to the Olympians and Hecate, and the meeting was over. The children of the Olympians were to come to Hogwarts in a week's time, and until then, the students of Hogwarts could only muse on the adventures that would surely follow their arrival...

**A/N - When you review, it makes me happy. And then, I feel like posting another chapter right away! So please, please do review and tell me how it was.**

**You're all wonderful, and I know you'll review right away! **


	10. Chapter 10 - Diagon Alley

**A/N – Sorry for the delay… I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again!**

"Love is a burning thing…" Leo sang at the top of his voice.

"Leo, for the gods' sake, shut up!" Piper yelled.

"And it makes a fiery ring…" Leo continued, as if he was deaf to the world.

"Leo Valdez! Will you stop, or should I make you stop?" Piper threatened.

"Calm down, ma Beauty Queen. Such a hot temper you have!" Leo replied, grinning.

Piper rolled her eyes, and turned to Annabeth.

"Where are we going, exactly?" she asked.

Annabeth looked up from her map of London, and said, "Some place called Diagon Alley. We're pretty close to the location, actually. Look out for a shop called the 'Leaky Cauldron', will you?"

"Hey, guys! Watch out for a place called the 'Leaky Cauldron'. We're getting close to our destination!" Piper said, raising her voice so she could be heard over Leo's singing, which he had resumed.

The seven demigods were en route to Hogwarts. They had taken a flight from the States to England (it had taken many hours of persuasion from Chiron for Percy to accept he wouldn't be killed).

And now, they were in a cab, headed for Diagon Alley. Percy and Jason were engaged in a lively discussion about the pros and cons of airplanes, with Frank joining in occasionally.

Hazel was gazing out the window, Annabeth was trying to make sense of their map with a certain level of success and Piper was trying to save herself from the fate of listening to Leo sing another fire-related song, albeit very unsuccessfully.

As the cab turned left to the Charing Cross Road, Hazel called out, "Hey, is that the place?"

"Which one? That broken-down old pub? I expected it to be grander…" Annabeth replied.

Hazel chuckled at that, and said, "There's an enchantment on it. It's supposed to look that way to mortals."

"How did you know that? Wait, don't answer. You are so used to working with the Mist that you saw right past the enchantment. Am I right?" Frank asked.

Hazel nodded, trying to look modest, when the cab pulled over near the shop.

"Are you sure you want to get down here, Miss? I could take you somewhere more suitable for folks of your type…"

"No, that's fine. We'll get down here." Annabeth informed the curious cab driver and paid the fare.

The seven got out and walked to the shop, wheeling their trunks behind them.

The shop door opened, and the demigods were faced with a small pub lit dimly. Many people in robes – wizards and witches – were moving around the room, sitting on the tables, or talking amongst each other.

Annabeth walked up to the bartender, and asked, "Is this the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Of course, Miss. What may I do for you today?" asked the bald, short man, winking at her in a friendly manner.

"We want to know if we can enter Diagon Alley…" Annabeth asked, uncertainly.

"Oh! You are the guests, then! I was informed to take you lot to Diagon Alley myself! Follow me," he said, and walked to the rear of the pub, that opened up to a chilly courtyard.

He took out his wand, and tapped the bricks on the wall in a particular order.

Immediately, the bricks melted away to be replaced with an arch. The bartender entered the archway, and the seven followed, with looks of interest on their faces.

"This will be interesting," whispered Percy, taking Annabeth's hand in his own.

"Certainly," she replied as they walked through the arch.

"This place is amazing!" Leo exclaimed, for about the hundredth time.

He had never thought that he would actually enjoy shopping, but Diagon Alley sold some really wonderful stuff.

Of course, as soon as Tom, the bartender, had shown them around the place a little, Annabeth had insisted on going to Flourish and Blotts to purchase their books.

Since most of them had dyslexia and ADHD as well, the number of books they had to buy had been vastly reduced. Most of the things they would be learning, they would have to keep in their minds.

This was absolutely fine with Leo. Books were a complete waste of time for him.

Next, they had purchased their robes. None of them were too eager about wearing the weird robes to school, but they had no choice.

After buying the essential items required for their stay at Hogwarts, and a visit to the Apothecary, the seven had decided to split up and roam around for some time.

Leo, Percy and Annabeth had decided to visit the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Leo, of course, was in heaven. He ended up buying a sample of almost every trick item they had. Percy was no less, either. He discussed various pranks and tricks they could pull excitedly with Leo. Annabeth spent the first ten minutes rolling her eyes at them, and then got caught up in the excitement herself.

Carrying heavy bags, they stepped out of the joke-shop, and met Jason and Piper coming out of Quality Quidditch supplies.

"Hey, guys! Look what I got!" Jason spoke, enthusiastically.

He was displaying a very fine broom, with a smoothly polished handle.

"So you decided to become the sweeper-man of Hogwarts, Jason?" Leo asked.

"No, guys! Can you believe what these brooms are for? You can fly on them!" Jason exclaimed.

"Cool! I'm going to get one for myself!" Leo said, and in the wink of an eyebrow, he was away and pushing the door of the shop.

Percy rolled his eyes, and said, "You know what, Annabeth, let's go explore some more. I don't think I really want to fly…"

Jason chuckled at Percy's pale expression and said, "I think it's nearly time for lunch, anyway. You go and find Hazel and Frank. We'll go get Leo. Meet us at the Leaky Cauldron, will you?"

"Sure," said Annabeth and dragged Percy away to find Hazel and Frank.

"That was a good meal," said Jason.

"Yes, absolutely delicious!" said Percy.

"Alright, what else do we have to buy now, Annabeth?" Hazel asked.

"Our wands are the only things left," said Annabeth, consulting the list of items they had been given.

"To the wand shop, then! It looked mysterious. I can't wait to go in there," said Leo, a goofy grin on his face.

The seven made their way to Ollivander's wand shop and let themselves in.

They were facing a narrow and shabby-looking room that was dimly lit, and empty.

"Hello? Mr. Ollivander?" Piper called out.

A silence followed. The seven looked at each other uneasily. Something about this place made them nervous. Maybe it was because the room was cramped and packed to the ceiling with boxes and boxes, one on top of another.

Suddenly, an old man with white hair stepped out of the gloom behind a stack of boxes. Ignoring their startled looks, he said, "What do you want, now? You lot had better not be planning any mischief."

"Uh, Mr. Ollivander, we are actually students at Hogwarts, looking for wands." Piper said nervously.

"Hogwarts students? Now, now, you should have told me that before. You look much too old for a wand, though."

Suddenly, his demeanour changed. A sly look came into his eyes and he said, "Sure you are not dark wizards trying to rob me of my wands?"

"Not at all. We just want wands for ourselves. We're starting this year at Hogwarts. Surely you must have been informed about us?" Piper said, putting in a bit of charmspeak in her voice.

"Of course, of course. My memory isn't what it used to be. Come here, now. Sit down on this chair," Ollivander said to Piper, pointing to a single spindly chair in a corner of the shop.

Piper looked at the rest of them nervously, and steeling herself, walked to the chair and sat down.

Ollivander proceeded to ask her a few questions, which she answered honestly. Then, he got down a few boxes from the stacks and asked her to hold each one and wave it.

After a few mishaps, and trying out a few dozen wands, Piper finally found the right one. It felt warm in her hand – no, it felt like an extension of her hand itself. She waved it, and sparks came out from its end.

She smiled. Being a daughter of Aphrodite, she could sense connections, and she knew that the wand had chosen her.

"Hmmm… It's a core of Dragon Heartstring with the wood being from an ancient walnut tree. Very pliant. Good choice," Ollivander said, more to himself than to the rest of the demigods.

Soon, the others had found their wands as well. They paid Mr. Ollivander seven galleons for each wand, and feeling relieved, made their way out of the wand shop.

The sun was setting by then, and Diagon Alley was bathed in orange light that danced from one window pane to the next. The last rays of the sun fell on the cobbled pavement and made the street look magical, like something out of a fairy-tale.

"Beautiful," said Leo.

"I can't believe _you_ said that, Valdez. But it _is_ beautiful," said Frank with a huge smile on his face.

**A/N – Diagon Alley done! How did you like this chapter? Personally, it's one of my favourites!**

**I have a few questions for you guys! First, I really want some good names for the goofball teams… think you can provide me with some?**

**Second, how do you feel about a Capture the Flag contest at Hogwarts in a later-on chapter?**

**And last, do you want me to put the seven in the regular old houses as done in other fanfictions? Or do you want some twists?**

**Review!**


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